A Flash of Genius: Inception, This Summer's Blockbuster Movie

I hadn't felt this way about a film since I was 10 years old, sitting in a packed and darkened theatre, watching Stars Wars. At that moment, even as a little child, I felt I was witnessing a story that was larger than life. Yesterday, I was once again stunned and impressed by the story that unfolded before me in this season's blockbuster movie, Inception. Star Wars is a tale of exploring the new frontier of outer space, whereas Inception is a story traveling through the inner reaches the human psyche.

As most of you know, I conduct workshops in dream interpretation. I have been a part of workshops for years and write down my most significant dreams in a journal. Why do I do this? I believe that our subconscious mind often communicates in symbolic terms through dream imagery, and there are golden nuggets of truth to be uncovered when we chose to pay attention to that inner dialogue. There is a memorable quote in Inception that captures the spiritual nature of the dream state: "It is only in dreams that the mind is creating and experiencing at the same time."

The basic premise of this science fiction film is that there is a technology that enables us to enter the mind through dream invasion and sharing. Through this technology one could extract secrets and plant a seed of an idea deep within the subconscious during the dream state. This idea then could grow and take shape in waking life. Christopher Nolan, who is the writer and director of this film, manages to tell a complicated story of how our memories, projections, and psychological defense mechanisms play such a central role in our decision making. There are no words to describe the brilliance of the plot, where you are led from one dream state to another deeper one. The tag line for the film is the true message: "Your mind is the scene of the crime."

I left the film asking more philosophical questions such as: What is ultimate reality? Do we all go through life with our own version of reality, and how much of it is shared with others? How does our own thinking and memories skew our perception of truth? At what point do our deep-seated emotional experiences bubble up from our subconscious and find their way into our waking life? This is one movie not to be missed this summer!